A public reception March 7 that was open to the community was the culminating event for artists who submitted entries to the 32nd Annual Community Council for the Arts Competitive Exhibition.

Artists across North America entered the annual competition. Accepted works were awarded four cash awards and five non-cash merit awards. The piece selected as Best in Show was purchased by the arts center and added to its Permanent Collection.

All the juried works are on display in the Hampton and Permanent Collection galleries on the main floor. Declined works hang throughout the second floor galleries as a show of appreciation for all artists who have created works and entered the show.

Brenda Behr of Goldsboro won “Best in Show” for her oil painting, “River Edge on a Rainy Day.” Jan Hoope of New Bern won first place for her oil, “Peony & Shell.” “Old Bridge,” a watercolor by Harold (John) Pitts of Grifton, won second place. Ronnie Cramer of Denver, Colo., won third place for the watercolor, “Dolly Madison.”

Receiving honorable mentions were: Clifford Aldrich of Gatlinburg, Tenn., for the photo “Tipton Place – Cades Cove”; Jason Clark of Jacksonville for the spray paint “Bluedays”; George Cole, also of Jacksonville, for oil and mixed “MIC”; Karen Lee Crenshaw of Jacksonville for “Marsh in Autumn II,” an oil on linen; and Barbara Matthews Freeman of New Bern for her acrylic, “Re-cycle.”

Qiang Huang, professional painter and workshop artist, was the juror for the exhibition. He taught a still life oil painting and online art marketing workshop Feb. 28 to March 2 while here to judge the entries.

From China, he has studied art from multiple master artists. His paintings show remarkable accuracy and expressive brush strokes. Since 2004, his paintings have been selected continuously for the 14th, 15th, 16th and 18th Oil Painters of America’s National Juried Exhibitions.